At the woman’s bombshell statement, Suhyeon was at a loss for a proper reaction and could only blink his eyes.
The words were so confident that he even questioned if there was a secret about his birth that he didn’t know about.
…It’s just the role of the mother, right?
As Suhyeon stood there dumbfounded, the woman burst into laughter and picked him up.
Her voice was so loud that people from a distance glanced over.
“An Jihee, playing the mother today. Are you surprised? Our child, your eyes are wide open.”
“Team Leader!”
As Jihee playfully poked the bewildered Suhyeon’s nose, an employee who had spoken with Jiyeon when they arrived earlier hurried over.
A trace of resentment tinged his gaze.
“Oh, our youngest. Isn’t he cute? He’s my son for the day.”
“Oh, please…”
“Have you met Writer Yoo Jihoon? That person is top-notch in skill but lacking in manners, talks crap about how he feels snubbed when a female team leader treats him. I approved it thinking of the future, but if he really screws up…”
Team Leader of Taesung Planning, An Jihee, chatted away while holding Suhyeon with one arm.
Despite being five years old and smaller than his peers, she looked as if she felt no weight at all.
“I have something to tell you about that… Hmm. Suhyeon, there’s the PD. Could you go over and greet him?”
The employee, previously biting his lip, soon smiled gently and nudged Suhyeon.
It was clear they wanted a conversation alone, so Suhyeon quickly nodded.
“Then I’ll be going! Please let me down, noona!”
“Noona… I thought to you I was an ajeossi…”
“It’s good social life skills. See you later.”
Suhyeon sprinted away from the burdensome Jihee.
As the employee had said, the PD and Seohan were already standing in front of the set.
“Hello!”
“Ah, hello. Lee Gyuhyuk!”
The PD nodded once and shifted his gaze away from Suhyeon.
It was clear he considered the child actor on the same level as a prop.
“Get the kid ready and call An Jihee over, then we’ll start shooting. Seohan, this scene will be synthesized onto a phone screen, so please organize your reactions. Everyone, move quickly!”
The staff hurried as the PD spoke with an irritable tone.
No one blamed him for the work being paused while he was away.
The set really is about the pecking order…
Suhyeon thought idly as he entered the set.
As soon as Jihee held him, the camera focused on him and a small window appeared.
“This camera is the phone’s lens, just act accordingly. Jihee, please step slightly out of the frame.”
“Okay.”
“Let’s go right into it!”
The seated PD clapped his hands and the surrounding noise abruptly stopped.
Suhyeon smiled brightly at the camera only 2 meters away.
“Oh! It’s daddy! Daaaaady!!”
With an appeal that could reach the heavens, Suhyeon babbled on with his little mouth wide open.
So cute and adorable that even the unmarried staff members looked on with paternal and maternal smiles.
“Now, say hi to daddy.”
“Daddy, I love you! Fighting!”
With Jihee’s solitary line, Suhyeon formed a large heart above his head and clenched his fists in a fighting pose.
The trifecta of looks, outfit, and action culminated in unbeatable cuteness.
“Cut. Good. We probably won’t need a separate audio recording…”
Satisfied with Suhyeon’s performance, the PD, who had reviewed the footage, got up with a smile.
“Let’s wrap it up for the child actor.”
Unlike the main model Seohan, the child actor’s part was merely to appear within the angle of a video call.
Thus, after a mere 10 minutes of shooting, Suhyeon’s part was done.
“Thank you!”
Suhyeon got down from Jihee’s arms and bowed deeply to the staff with the okay sign.
Just a proper greeting could earn the cuteness at that age.
And Suhyeon wasn’t one to miss a chance to score points.
Ads really are the best in terms of time-to-money ratio…
One hour to get there, 30 minutes to change clothes, and only 10 minutes of shooting.
Making money was so much easier compared to dramas.
Of course, it’s nothing compared to the fun and satisfaction of acting, but one must make good money to live well.
With worldly wisdom beyond his five years, Suhyeon was walking off the set when he crossed paths with Seohan heading toward the neighboring set.
Seohan gave Suhyeon softer than usual smile as their eyes met.
“Dad—fighting.”
With that little joke—
A joke? Did he just make a joke to me?
Surprised by the sudden display of familiarity, Suhyeon’s eyes went round as he turned to look back at him.
His inner sense of closeness surged spontaneously.
If he were of age to drink, he would’ve grabbed a drink with him right away.
“You did great, Suhyeon.”
“Mom!”
Suhyeon was lost in thought when Jiyeon, who had been watching, approached and patted him on the back.
Jolted from his daydream, he greeted Jiyeon with a beaming smile.
“Wow, Jiyeon, Suhyeon is really amazing. I’m a staunch believer in singlehood, but for a moment there, I even wanted to have a kid of my own.”
“Oh my, thank you, Team Leader An Jihee. But I had no idea you were into this kind of hobby.”
“Just a little stress relief. It makes for good pocket money too. Anyway, I heard you left the company, Jiyeon, and you’re freelancing now…”
While Jiyeon and An Jihee were in conversation, Suhyeon slipped out of Jiyeon’s arms, scattering his unfinished greetings here and there.
Perhaps it was his appeal as a fine product, but people who were too busy and passing by before the shoot now paused for a moment to watch.
Even the PD, who previously didn’t pay much attention because he was a child actor, called out Suhyeon’s name with a farewell.
“Should we go home now that Suhyeon is done?”
“I kind of want to look around a little more…”
“Sorry. Mom has another appointment, so we need to leave now.”
Understanding his mom’s situation, Suhyeon took one last look around the set and grabbed her hand.
The sound of the PD clapping his hands to signal the start of shooting echoed from behind.
* * *
“Seora, Suhyeon, congratulations!”
On the Sunday evening when episode six aired, there was a long-awaited company dinner.
Ostensibly, it was to celebrate the drama’s viewership rating breaking 25 percent, but everyone knew it was actually for the child actors who had safely towed the drama to the starting line.
“Seora is preparing for her next movie already, isn’t she? Busy bee.”
“Yes! I’m happy because I’m getting a lot of calls these days! I want to become even more famous.”
“I heard Suhyeon’s commercial with Seohan will be out soon? A mobile phone commercial, huh? You’re on a roll!”
Choi Ayeon was more friendly than usual with the child actors, showing off her closeness.
Her obvious attempt to network with the rising juniors made the staff at the neighboring tables snicker discreetly.
“Ayeon, you seem so adorably naive, and your head is so small.”
“Oh my, Chaemin too? Thank you for the compliment.”
“ㅋㅋㅋ…”
Choi Ayeon was not only shameless but also slow in catching sarcastic remarks.
Suhyeon shook his head.
Kwak Chaemin, who kept subtly picking fights knowing it wouldn’t make a dent, and Ayeon, who navigated the entertainment world with her naive brain, were both impressive.
―”Huek, sob. Jiwu, Gaeun… Dad…”
―”…”
―”Huek. Sob.”
―”I’ll… I’ll help you.”
Contrary to the lively atmosphere of the restaurant, the TV showed “Young Gaeun’s” home, the Gaeun House, engulfed in flames.
Lee Dosu, the father of “Young Gaeun,” had entered the burning building because he left a treasure inside.
While some were fainting and others were helplessly hopping around, the resolute face of “Young Jiwu,” reflected in the light of the flames, appeared on the screen.
―”I’ll help you stand tall again, Gaeun House. You’ll become Gaeun of the Gaeun House…”
―”Jiwu…”
―”I like you, so please…”
The confession came out of nowhere.
But maybe because “Young Jiwu’s” expression was so earnest, “Young Gaeun” didn’t lash out with “stop talking nonsense” and instead quietly gazed at the boy.
―”Please don’t cry.”
“Young Jiwu” wiped away the tears from “Young Gaeun’s” cheeks.
As he wiped away the tears, and as her eyes remained wet with those tears, “Young Jiwu’s” eyes also began to moisten.
―”Huuuah….”
―”…I said don’t cry.”
Tears rolled down the face of “Young Jiwu” even as he spoke.
Eventually, the two children kept crying with unsightly faces until Gaeun’s father, Lee Dosu, was brought out unconscious, draped over a firefighter’s back.
“Kyah, I sure picked a good child actor, didn’t I? Here, let’s have a drink with Seora and Suhyeon. And hey, miss! Add one more beef rib over here!”
“Thank you.”
“Thank you.”
“Oh my! This is becoming a bit too much. Alright, our child actors did well~”
Just then, as word spread that the viewership rating had crossed 30 percent, the excited PD poured soda into the child actors’ glasses.
Ayeon fussed over them melodramatically, and Chaemin also offered his congratulations.
“Haah, after doing so well this week, I bet there’ll be viewers who won’t watch next week if the child actors aren’t there. What if the ratings drop too much?”
“Hey, you did great too, Ayeon. Don’t worry about it.”
“Oh, PD-nim too? Hohoho thank you.”
Ignoring Ayeon’s feigned weakness, Suhyeon stared at the TV screen.
The last 30 seconds of episode six.
A foreshadowing that viewers wouldn’t notice was being broadcasted, hinting at the upcoming twists in the drama.
―”Jiwu, I’ve been looking for you for so long! What are you doing?”
“Young Jiwu,” who had been staring at the place where “Young Gaeun” had disappeared, flinched at the irritable voice of the unseen woman.
The woman, whose face wasn’t shown, gripped the child’s wrist tightly and dragged him away.
―”The CEO is waiting… Can’t you walk on your own two feet?”
―”…I’m sorry.”
Prompted by the young woman, “Young Jiwu” took a brief glance at the blazing Gaeun House before quickly following after her.
And then the screen faded to black.
“Looks like Suhyeon’s part is really over now. Great job.”
As the scene transitioned to a hospital, Chaemin, seated next to him, spoke up quietly.
He naturally swapped a cup of cider with a water glass and clinked the cups together.
“Thank you.”
“I thought you’d be pretty upset with Seohan-sunbae not being here today, but you seem surprisingly fine?”
“Since when was I ever only looking for Seohan-hyung? If he’s busy, we should congratulate him.”
“…What happened behind my back?”
“Nothing. It was the same as always.”
“Every good actor is just like that…”
Chaemin, who had expressed jealousy about Suhyeon becoming close to Seohan behind his back, downed the cider he snatched from Suhyeon and set the glass down.
When their eyes met again, there was a fleeting seriousness in his gaze.
“So, have you thought about your next project?”
“Well… that’s a bit daunting.”
“I guess if you’re networking without an agency or academy, it can be tough. I hear the agencies you met blew you off.”
“They were all con artists trying to rip me off.”
Suhyeon grumbled his true feelings in a low voice.
Although he put on the most child-like demeanor in front of others, he made an exception for Chaemin.
Even if he showed a sharp and cynical response unbecoming of a child, Chaemin took it in without batting an eye.
Thanks to him, Suhyeon had found himself a bamboo forest where he could reveal his inner thoughts.[1]
I was panicked at first, not knowing how to fix my mistake. He took it so nonchalantly that it’s suspicious, but since it’s good for me, I let it be.
The existence of someone in front of whom the “adult Kang Suhyeon” could reveal himself served as a mental sanctuary for Suhyeon.
That was why Suhyeon, though he found Chaemin’s teasing and pranks bothersome, continued to remain close to him.
“What an old soul in a young body. It wouldn’t hurt to be deceived like a child just once.”
Having heard his concerns, Chaemin lightly pinched Suhyeon’s nose, taking his side.
Of course, his words were also close to empty, without a trace of sincerity.
“That’s some dangerous advice. Why don’t you go help the less fortunate instead?”
As Chaemin said something odd, Suhyeon snorted softly.
He regretted his words as soon as he uttered them, thinking he had gone too far, but Chaemin nonchalantly patted his head a couple of times.
“Don’t worry. Good news will come soon.”
“…?”
“Your mom is calling for you. PD, I’ll take this little one and be back.”
“You’re still close, I see. Hurry back.”
“Okay.”
Suhyeon stared hard at Chaemin as he carried him away.
Despite the intense gaze, Chaemin chose silence over satisfying Suhyeon’s curiosity.
Ugh. What does that mean? I can’t sleep from curiosity…!
Laid back on the car seat, Suhyeon couldn’t fall asleep as usual and tossed and turned.
Not long after, the “good news” Chaemin had mentioned arrived for him.
[1] A bamboo forest is a metaphor for a place or person where you can speak or think freely without concern for the outside world or eavesdroppers.
